5 Tips to Stick With Your Exercise Goals

Changing bad habits and starting a new healthier lifestyle can be very hard or better said is always hard.

So you need lots of motivation to change all the things in your live that will lead to a better health.

And you might struggle with things like visiting the gym regulary, changing your diet, changing your weekend shopping list etc. And it is not only changing it. Also to stick with it can be pretty hard.

Some examples: Your collegues invite you to an after work beer and you have to stick to mineral water. Or it is raining cats & dogs, it is winter and dark outside, your sofa is warm and cosy, but you actually should go to the gym. How would you decide?

Yes, no one said it is easy to change your habits. And no one can help you with it. Sure other people can try to motivate you, but if you are not the one who really wants the change it will be a difficult and almost impossible task.

I do not want de-motivate you. No actually I would like to help you.

It happen often to me that there was a great party going on. Everyone had more drinks as would be good for them and I was the one who was asked to drive them home. Just because I did not drink due my sport. People try to take advantage of this. Or they make fun about you. Just let them talk and let them walk home. The next day you will feel great in the morning, fit and healthy. They will battle the hang over.

Or the have a real feast, you take the healthy meal from the menu.. Again you might hear some shit coming in your direction. But let me tell you. latest when the are 35-40 years old, they will battle with all the health issues that overweight and a unhealthy life brings with it.

And the older they are the more damage has been made to the body and the harder it will be to change or reverese the effects. If possible at all.

After almost 25 years of fitness training and workout, I have seem lots and lots of people coming to the gyms. Fat, exhausted, overworked, tired people. Party animals, food lovers or just ordinary people who did not know better. Specially in January after New Year the gyms are full with them. Guess why 😉

90% of these people disappear latest by April again and will never been seen again. The gyms like them most, as the pay for a full year but only use it four months 😉 Easy money.

These people struggle in changing their lifestyle on the long run. Losing weight, getting in shape and living healthier is not a once off project. It is a lifelong project.

So what is happing to these people. Why do they give up so quickly?

The reasons are mainly:

Lack of discipline

Lack of time management

Wrong expectations & impatience

Setting the wrong goals

Bored

Lets start with discipline. You need a lot of discipline to stick to your diet and to visit the gym. But you also have the discipline to go to work every day. And for sure you will have the discipline to visit the doctor regulary once you have diabetis because of your overweight.

Once you are doing the weekly diet & workout routine for about 6 months it will become a initial part of your life and you will have no problems anymore with it.

Time management: You do not have the time to go to the gym 5 times a week. Fair enough, if it takes you 30 min for one way to drive there, you have kids & family and a long work day… But how about a stationary bike or treadmill in the living room. You can easily do your cardio training and watch TV. 5 times a week for 30 minutes should burn about 4500 calories per months. This is two to three days of food just burned away. And then use the weekend for the gym for two full body workouts.

Wrong goals & expectations: Example. 35 year old man, had a good party life after leaving school. Lots of beer and pizza. Now body fat of 30% and more (obese). Want to get in shape and look the same he looked when he left school. It take him 15 years to become a fat guy and now it should be reverese in 3 months time. Sorry that does not work. So set small goals and do it step by step. Say you would like to lose 4kg and when achieved celebrate your success with a glass of wine or beer (ONE!) and then set the next goal. Do not be impatiend. You will reach the goal but it will take time.

Bored: I agree cardio and weight lifting can be boring. I personaly hate cardio. Stationary bike, stepper, treadmill – I just do not like it, but I do it. Why? It is part of the training and this brings us back to discipline. But there are ways to make it easier. Watch TV, listen to music or read while you are doing it. Or better do you run in nature. You will always see something new.

With weight lifting the same. Do not do the same 7 excerises that the trainer has shown you in the first introduction. There are more than 700 exercies available. Learn more, try more. I always chose another routine for my workout. They are never the same. Play around, learn what works for you and you will see results soon.